The Badgers are last in the Big Ten and 120th nationally with a third-down conversion ratio of 28.2 percent (22-for-78). A lot of factors go into that woeful rate, but the biggest might be in how they’ve performed before they get to third down. UW’s average distance on second-down plays from scrimmage — excluding goal-to-go snaps — has gotten progressively worse over the first six games. It was 7 yards in the opener vs. Northern Iowa, 7.6 vs. UTEP, 8.1 vs. Nebraska and 8.7 yards last week vs. Illinois.

2: PAT AND ABBY

UW junior wide receiver Jared Abbrederis has topped 100 yards in receptions for three straight games, averaging 135.3 along the way. If he gets a fourth Saturday, he’ll join Pat Richter as the only players in program history to accomplish the feat. Richter, the College Football Hall of Famer and former UW athletic director, averaged 143 receiving yards over the final four games of the 1961 season.

3: OTIS, MY MAN

Purdue will recognize former standout running back Otis Armstrong for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame Saturday. Armstrong once reigned as the all-time leading career rusher in Big Ten history with 3,315 yards from 1970 to ’72. He passed Alan Ameche, the 1954 Heisman Trophy winner from UW who totaled 3,212 yards from 1951 to ’54.

4: JOIN THE CLUB

As far as the NCAA record book is concerned, only two players have scored 70 or more touchdowns in their college careers: Travis Prentice of Miami (Ohio) with 78 from 1996 to ’99 and Ricky Williams of Texas with 75 from 1995 to ’98. UW senior tailback Montee Ball needs one TD to join that club.

5: AFTER THE HALF

The Badgers have won six straight against Purdue, four during the Bret Bielema coaching era that began in 2006. If one’s looking for a common thread to the winning streak under Bielema, here it is: UW has outscored the Boilermakers 79-3 in the second half.

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